From their arrival on the popular culture shores of the West in the 80s to the present day, Ninja are a huge part of the modern comic vernacular.  One writer/artist certainly saw to the bolstering of their popularity with work that would inspire a remarkably parody that forged an empire.

Like the night out of which they silently emerge, Ninja are with us now and forever...in comics!

Your well rested hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston struggle through terrible colds to bring you the opening issue of the first story arc of the new year - I Think I'm Turning Japanese.  This arc will explore the influence of Japanese culture, history, and manga on the comic book industry at large.

To open the narrative, this issue goes back in time to take a look at the Fuedal period in Japan, a time and place not included in the previous time period discussion arc.  Like so many benchmark historical periods around the world, this era lends itself ideally to the graphic sequential storyteller.

This year Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at the characters that have "creature features" that they cannot easily disquise or hide should they choose to go out in public.  The Fantastic Four's own Thing naturally comes to mind, but it turns out that such misery loves company.  There is no shortage of heroes and villains who are monsterous or otherwise incapable of going incognito in the world of comics.

Marvel and DC both come to the fore with the best and worst of universal reboots, but are by no means alone in taking this approach.  Discover the changes that were meant to last forever, but usually did not on this episode.

Since then over 250 issues of the show have been published on The JediCole Universe and ten monthly episodes of Hey Kids, Comics! Live were produced on Deep Ellum on Air.  On the occassion of a nearly uninturrupted run of weekly shows, it seemed natural to revisit two upon which one o fyour hosts was unavailable to record as well as take a thoughtful look back at the origins of this very show.

This massive special issue of HKC! features a reunion of sorts with Andy and Cole revisiting a pair of episodes that lacked one or the other then launches into a reunion of your hosts, Mrs. JediCole, and the founder of Amazing Comicast and The United States of Geekdom, Rick Gutierrez.  

Many a nefarious villain would never hatch an evil scheme without being certain that there is a well trained army at his or her disposal.  When you fight the bad fight, it is just a necessity.  For that matter, when fighting the good fight, an army is also a plus.

So in comics it is little wonder that we find so many unique mercenary or government sanctioned armed forces.  From the good guys of S.H.I.E.L.D. to their arch nemesis Hydra to the assembled hoardes of the Amazon or the extremely organized criminal organization Intergang, there is always an army here or there.

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston embed themselves in the wide variety of armed forces that people the worlds of comics as protectors or menaces.

As one of the most iconic characters in comics, Batman has had a long history that touches nearly every other medium out there, most especially film and television.  And at times film and television touches the comics in a unique way.

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined by Bat-fan Michael Cross to discuss the legacy of the Caped Crusader in other media and how each influence one another.  From the sales-bolstering of the 60s Batman TV series to characters making the jump from film or television into the comics, a two-way street becomes evident the more this group digs into Bat-history.

The future in the DC Universe anyway.  The future of one Boy of Steel and his friends from the 30th Century.  Or perhaps without Superboy depending on which era you are talking about.  

This week JediCole is talking about the Legion of Super-Heroes with his good friend Steve McCauley - the biggest Legion fan he knows.  Andrew Farmer is absent this issue but that did not stop the show from running long on a topic that deserves far more time than was afforded.

Get a glimpse of a fascinating future with insights on the history of the title and its characters.

Did they ever see a return!  This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston discuss their creation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with none other than Figments and The Rantcor Pit co-host Eddie Medina.  With Eddie as the in-house expert, expect a lot of insights and laughs served on the half-shell.

From lost worlds to time portals to just being a handy plot device, the denizens of the Mezozoic and Cenozoic tend to come out of the (petrified) woodwork!  

Join your hosts Andrew Farmer and lifelong dinosaur enthusiast Cole Houston as they dig into the past appearing in the present or future with an issue all about the dinosaurs of comics!

Welcome to the latest edition of Hey Kids, Comics!, arriving to you on the 51st anniversary of one of the icons of American entertainment and science fiction, Star Trek!  To celebrate this auspicious occassion, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston explore the final frontier (and Gene Rodenberry's most famous creation) as it has appeared in comics for a near-uninterupped five decades!

Joining your hosts on this trek is none other than Mrs. JediCole herself, Catherine Houston!

Not content to discuss only movies based specifically on comic book properties, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston turn the tables and talk about original films that fit the genre without the benfit of source material.  The Rantcor Pit's Eddie Medina joins the fun as each posits a handful of films that fit the theme.

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined this week by none other than "Do It Yourself" host PJ Dunn aka the Vegabomber!  Brining his considerable movie critic talents to the proceedings, this titanic trio explore the DC moive franchises.  Timing is everything in a week filled to brimming with announcments and conjecture about this disjointed approach to floating a franchise.  

Why does Warner falter where Marvel succeeds? With so many missess and so few hits, that is a compelling question that challenges your hosts this week.  Find out their thoughts on the past, present, and future of DC movies.

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston travel that road in the latest issue of the show and find it a most curious and storied path.  Join them as they explore the films of Marvel Studios as well as, to a lesser degree, Fox and Sony and thier respective hit and miss record with the House of Ideas.

There has been no shortage of Batman movies or movie Batmans in the last quarter century.  Technically there have been Batmans since 1943, but the Cine-Files story arc does not stretch back that far.  Nor 1949.  Or indeed, to 1966, either.  Apologies to Lewis Wilson, Robert Lowery, and Adam West - all of whom brought Bruce Wayne's alter ego to the big screen.  

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a look at big screen Batman incarnations from Keeton to Aflek and everyone in between.  The character has been brooding and serious, campy and jovial, and even downright murderous over the years.

Join Hey Kids, Comics! on a journey through the Dark Knights in cinema from 1989 through 20016.

We want to issue a very special thank you to batman-online.com , for their extensive work in detailing panel by panel, the comparisons between comic and film!  Way to go, team!

Instead your hosts are embarcing on a brand new story arc all about super-heroes on the Silver Screen.  This issue launches thing with a look at some of the best, worst, and most obscure comic book based cinema before the arc moves into a handful of solid franchises.

As summer draws to a close it seemed only natural to go out to the movies...

for five weeks in a row!

With a massive number of new releases in Hasbro's amazing action figure line annoucned and teased at San Diego Comic Con, your hosts just had to devote an episode to the collecting extravaganza that begins August 1, 2017!

Welcome to the second (and final) part of 'Hey Hasbro!" in which Cole Houston and Eddie Medina dig deeper into their modern Star Wars toy wish list. What characters and creatures do they favor that they did not get to last time?  Can they stick to talking about just the 6" scale Black Series?  Can only two episodes of the show truly suffice to cover so much ground?

Find out what Your Favorite Star Wars Guys hope to check off of their collecting bucket list in the upcoming years.  This (and the episode before it) will be something to look back at in a few years and see what, if anything, got the toy treatment and satisfied the Rantcor Pit's ravenous appetite for collectbles.

Yes, it is true.  This outing Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston discuss what is largely believed to be Cole's favorite topic when it comes to comics, "Watchmen".  

But this time its a bit different.  The discussions take your hosts, and their special guest Catherine Houston, beyond just the comic series itself.  This one is about the phenomenon.  From ocuntless incarnations of published collections of the comic to movies to merchandising, there was plenty to explore this week.

Catherine "Mrs. JediCole" Houston joins the show due in no small part to haveing a certain fondness for Watchmen in her own right.

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined by comic book scholar Weldon Adams in an exploration of independent comic publishers and their work.  What defines a comic as an Indy?  What comics of this ilk managed to reach the pinacles of success?  Which ambitious titles failed miserable and which miserable titles failed even more so in the often flooded marketplace?  These and other questions are posed and answered as Hey Kids, Comics! declares independents!

In this concluding chapter, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston strap on their six guns and go West!  The Western is the order of the day as the frontier spirit and tenacious grit of the gunslinger is explored.  Special guest Shawn Padilla of All-Con Games and Theory joins the posse to talk up the cowboy-rich history of historical comics set in the untamed West.

Specifically, they are launching The Force of July 2017 (because this episode ran late) with a very personal discussion of what they personally want to see in the coming years from Star Wars at Hasbro.  Concentrating primarily on the often ignored 3.75" line, they share favorite picks that have yet to see the light of day.  When it comes to the 6" Black Series, well, that is in the mix, too.  

And the reason this turned into a two-parter!

Steve of Clan McCauley was chosen to accompany the pair on their journey to discover not only the popular Arthurian cycle as it occurs at Marvel and DC, but also many a knight, a monster, or a maiden from or inspired by a bygone age.

Who may say what strange tales may be found within such curious and colorful tomes as your hosts shall be discussing among their learned selves? Tis not for this chronicle to fortell, nay, it shall be the task of you, faithful listener of yon podcast to find for thy own self by lending an ear to the proceedings that shall delight and inform.

From the obvious like Frank Miller's swords and sandals epic "300" to the more obscure (to Americans for the most part) like "Asterix".  The mythos and mystery of Greece and Rome of Antiquity have long been staples of comic books, most especially their pantheons of gods.  Joining the boys this week is resident Classical expert Kelly Long who again brings her wit and knowledge to the table and classes up the joint!

The Black Series label is most largely associated with the 6" figure line that has encompassed the original cinematic Saga, what remains of the Expanded Universe, and even the first anthology film, Rogue One.  With so many characters to cull from, and with collectors flocking to this relatively new line, it is little wonder that so many figures have already been produced with so many more on the way!

"Your Favorite Stars Guys" talk up this popular toy line in all of its myriad incarnations.

Welcome to the second issue of the "Period Pieces" story arc in which the ancient Egypt is the focus.  Delving primarily into characters with origins in the distant past of the land of the pyramids, this issue looks at mystic beginnings, time travel, and even the influence and allure of Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs.

Prehisotry is a popular period for comics and there are many noteable prehistoric-themed titles and characters up for discussion.  The Rantcor Pit's own Eddie Medina joins the paleolithic fun this outing!

For nearly a half-century Star Wars has been a part of the collective consciousness of the world.  Listen to "Your Favorite Star Wars Guys" reminisce about the decade that saw Disney purchase LucasFilm, ushered in the first chapter of the final trilogy and the first stand alone film in the live action francise, spawned a successful new animated television series, and saw the arrival, disappearance, and return of The Rantcor Pit (as well as the addition of The Rantcor Pit Live)!

What memories will Cole and Eddie invoke in you as they journey through tthe most recent years of the Saga (so far).

While May 25, 1997 to May 24, 2007 may well be defined as the "Prequel Era", prepare to discover that so much more was going on with the Saga in perhaps the richest decade of them all.  From publications to toys to one of the most enduring events that fans can imagine, this decade truly stands out like a Wookiee at a Jawa party!

This week, Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston devote an extra-long issue of the show to two deeply psychological television shows based on equally psychologically-themed comics.  Yes, it's a "two-fer" with FX's Legion and AMC's Preacher!  DC Comics and Mavwel Comics get equal coverage as each show is examined and compared, to a degree, to its source material.

SPOILER ALERT!  If you have not seen one or both of these series and want to see one or both that you have not, you may wish to set this issue aside until such time as you can take in these amazing shows.  Otherwise, join in on some thoughtful discussion of two of the most thought-full shows ever inspired by top comic books.

Cole Houston and Eddie Medina launch headlong into the seemingly bleak decade when the potential for an "Episode I" was called heavily into question.  Yet despite a lack of new films every three years (as promised back in the late 70s and early 80s), Star Wars remained an essential aspect of contemporary American and international life.

Join your hosts as they highlight those myriad little events that served to keep the Galaxy Far, Far Away close to the hearts of fans until LucasFilm again brought new Star Wars adventures to the big screen.

Them's some pretty antagonistic words!  But sometimes we must face down such incarnations of inner turmoil to understand them.  Such is the case with the latest issue of the show.

This week Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston take a placid, reflective look at the more brutal demons of our nature - if we are comic book characters.  Anger can manifest itself in a variety of was in the pages of favorite titles and your intrepid hosts strive to explore as many such manifestations, and some of the counter measures to quell them, as an hour would allow.

This week Cole "JediCole" Houston takes on the hosting reigns with special co-host and JCU favorite Kelly Long!  Andrew may be gone (for a week) but the show goes forward as planned, if a little late.  This outing its all about DC Comics' most iconic female character - Wonder Woman! 

The Amazon warrior has been a part of comic book mythos for decades and will soon make her solo cinematic debut.  There simply could be non better topic or better guest host!

This episode launches an ambitious four-part series for the month of May which will explore, decade by decade, the first 40 years of Star Wars.  From May 25, 1977 to May 24, 1986, a lot of ground is covered in the decade that saw three feataure films, a Lucas-embarassing Holiday Special, comic books, cartoons, toys, and collectibles into the phenomenon that still continues to captivate fans around the world.

Join your hosts as they begin a journey of personal memories and interesting events during the initial ten years of that "Galaxy Far, Far Away"!

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston, joined by Eddie Medina of "The Rantcor Pit" examine the phenomeonon of Star Wars through one of Marvel Comics' most successful licensed titles.  From the initial six-issue adaptation of the film to what is arguably the genesis of what would come to be known as the Expanded Universe.  

Disney may have declared that nohting that occured during the 107 regular issues and three anuals (apart from the adaptations of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back during said run), but that does not dismiss the importance of Marvel's first run of Star Wars comics.  Harken back to 1977-1986 with a celebration of nearly a decade of classic Marvel lore.

Released quietly in 1984 by a publisher nobody had ever heard of, a compilation of new and previously published anthology material comprised the first issue of a title that would make quite a splash.  With its hardcore yet natural depiction of sex and sexuality woven into a complex plot of social/political intrigues, betrayal, hypocracy, and true love, the brainchild of cartoonist Reed Waller and (later) writer Kate Worley would cause such a splash as to enter the mainstream of comics in spite of its status as a "dirty book".  

Your hosts offer two perspectives on this often controvercial title, that of fan from the outset and that of the newcomer.  

This issue contains discussion of an adult nature and may contain language that some find offensive.  You have been warned!

Sure, recommendations on "must reads" are often at a constant on the show, but delving in to a specific comic series, story arc, or story with an in-depth look at each, well that's been something long neglected.

Discover something new to seek out at your local comic shop as your hosts yet again regail you with the titles they feel you need to read!

There are the obvious universal orphans and those that may not spring to mind.  Your hosts seek out those who have survived everything that obliterated their own kind, even if they were personally responsible.  All of that and a Reed Richards tale that should never be told!

From Green Arrow/Green Lantern to the various wisecracking champions who have comibined their efforts with Ol' Web-Head, this two-by-two episode has a little bit of everything!  Or everyone who paired off anyway.  Get in on the doubled-fun with Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston!

There are times when comic books transcend their genre and their form, when they truly beome art.  And then there are those timese when a comic storyline, an issue, or even just a handful of panels give pause and leave you reflective, thoughtful, or deeply touched.  These are the "moments when" that occur in the bst examples of comic book story craft.

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston impart some of their own most memorable moments in this unique isssue of the show.  

SPOILER ALERT!  Some of the discussions will reveal more than you may wish to know before reading such titles as "Identiy Crisis", "Watchmen", "Saga", "Countdown to Infinite Crisis", "Saga of the Swamp Thing", and more.

Welcome to Marsh Madness, the ultimate smack down of comic book swamp creatures!  From the heavy hitters like Man-Thing to the more obscure bayou-dwellers like the Glob to the granddaddy of them all, the Heap!

Your swamp-side comentators Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston bring you all of the action you can handle when it comes to the most anticipated matchup of comic critters all year!

Or for those of us not from Kashyyyk, welcome to the latest episode of The Rantcor Pit!  

This outing, JediCole and Eddie are takling up Wookiees.  From Chewbacca to the myriad others of his race with whom Yoda always had good relations, things get pretty hairy!  Especially since Your Favorite Star Wars Guys are joined by Chris and Caleb of Holy Nerdy Podcast!

This is true of your esteemed hosts Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston as they could not wait to devote an episode not only to this film, but to the cinematic history of Wolverine himself.  For 17 years Hugh Jackman has portrayed this pivitol X-Men character and the last hurrah is worthy of an icon.

Join these fanboys as they talk up Jackman, Wolverine, and more!

Welcome to the latest episode where JediCole Houston and Eddie Medina tackle some of the toughest questions one could possibly encounter pertaining to that Galaxy Far, Far Away.  This translates of course to Star Wars questions posed on Yahoo Answers!

Even Yoda himself might blanch at some of the questiongs found in that repository of crowd-sourced answers to the most unsual of inquiries.  But your hosts are not going it alone!  Jeff McGee (of Marvin Dog Media) is back to help them take up the challenge.  Find out what Ewoks eat,  what's up with Obi-Wan, the best ways to summarize a Star Wars film, how many Star Wars animals can be named in one sitting, and more!

If you're as curious as Curious George then you don't want to miss this answer-packed edition!

Joining them on this journey is none other than JediCole's brother, Clay (aka OrdinaryClay).  Enjoy this episode of the podcast that is fun for the whole family!

Andrew Farmer and Cole Houston are joined by Eddie Medina (The Rantcor Pit, Figments) as they delve into the ultimate Q&A on comic book related topics - Yahoo Answers.

Smallville, Spider-Man, and more await...